"China expresses its thanks for the warm support and participation of the Indian people and the great efforts by the Indian side," the Foreign Ministry spokesperson's office told PTI. Beijing was anxious about the smooth passage of the relay in India, home to an estimated population of 150,000 Tibetans living in exile, who have been staging repeated protests to draw global attention to alleged repression in Tibet.
An expected stormy run in Asia for the Beijing Olympic flame on Monday prompted Pakistan to promise security worthy of a head of state to the torch, as it made a last-minute change in the route for the relay marred by anti-China protests. The Olympic torch will arrive in Islamabad early on April 16 from Muscat, and it will be taken to New Delhi later the same day.
Describing Kashmir and Palestinian issues as old disputes, Musharraf told teachers and students at the elite Tsinghua University in Beijing that as far as Pakistan was concerned, "we are going on a bilateral approach with India"."We hope that good sense prevails on both sides to resolve this long standing dispute amicably between our two countries for the benefit of people of these two countries," Musharraf, who is on a six-day visit to China, said.
Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi spoke over the phone to his Indian counterpart Pranab Mukherjee and exchanged views on bilateral relations, explaining Beijing's principled stand on the Dalai Lama issue. Mukherjee said the Tibet Autonomous Region is part of China's territory and India will never tolerate any political anti-China activities by Tibetans on the Indian territory. The conversation comes after China's State Councilor Dai Bingguo's telephonic talk with the NSA.
Chinese State Councilor Dai Bingguo spoke to India's National Security Adviser M K Narayanan over phone and briefed him on the 'violent crimes' in Lhasa and 'expounded' China's stance on and concerns over the Tibet issue. Narayanan stated that Tibet was part of the Chinese territory and that India does not allow Tibetans to conduct 'anti-China political activities' in the country, official Xinhua news agency said.
A police officer was killed in fresh violence in Sichuan province near Tibet, China said on Tuesday as it struggled to quell the fortnight-long pro-independence protests. Armed with knives and stones, a mob attacked the police officers in Garze prefecture on Monday, killing one of them on the spot and injuring several others, a local official said. China's Minister for Public Security Meng Jianzhu, during his Lhasa visit, vowed stricter management of Buddhist monasteries.
Concerned over the state of the world economy and depreciation of the US dollar, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao on Tuesday said 2008 would be the "most difficult" for the country's economy as it faced the potential risk of economic fluctuations.
Describing the Sino-Indian border row as a "complex issue", Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao on Tuesday said it cannot be resolved overnight and that "new progress" would be made in the negotiations as long as both countries showed sincerity and "mutual accommodation". "It is no easy task to resolve such a complex issue left from the past and we cannot expect that the issue will be resolved overnight," Wen said.
No fresh outbreak of violence was reported by authorities in Lhasa, which came under the vice-like grip of security forces after Friday's orgy of violence saw marauding mobs torching buildings and police and private vehicles, and loot banks and shops. However, spontaneous demonstrations continued elsewhere in China with at least three Tibetan protesters killed in clashes in a Tibetan-populated district of Sichuan province in southwest China, rights groups said.
"We hope that India will proceed from the overall interest of our bilateral relations and honour its commitment," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang told a regular news briefing when asked if Beijing was satisfied with the Indian government's handling of protests by Tibetans. Qin said no country in the world had recognised Tibet as an independent country and, since ancient times, it had been an inalienable part of China.
Growth was 11.1 per cent in the first quarter, 11.9 per cent in the second, 11.5 per cent in the third but slowed down to 11.2 per cent in the fourth, according to figures released at a press conference in Beijing by NBS head Xie Fuzhan. China's red hot economy has continued to expand at a fast pace, despite a slew of measures including frequent hikes in interest rates and in the proportion of funds banks must hold in reserve, to cool it.
The 'encouraging' extent of consensus between the two sides reflected in the joint document issued by them at end of Singh's talks would lead to stronger relations, they feel.
"Indian business is ready to face the brave new world of globalisation. China is an important part of that brave new world. We must engage China and learn to both compete and cooperate," Singh, who began a three-day maiden visit here, said at a brainstorming session with the business delegation accompanying him, ahead of the Sino-Indian business summit on Monday.
The Prime Minister, who advanced his departure to avoid Delhi fog, will utilise the time for making a visit to the Olympic games stadium and a meeting with Indian businessmen for a briefing on issues that would come up during his discussions with the Chinese leadership on the economic side.
"The two sides have shown their positive political willingness and we are willing to work together with India so as to reach a fair and reasonable resolution framework acceptable to both at an early date so as to build a friendly and peaceful border area," Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Jiang Yu said.
"China and India are important countries in Asia and two important neighbours. We hope such activities will be increased so that they can be helpful in improving the stability and security of this region," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang told a regular bi-weekly news briefing in Beijing.
The exercise will involve setting up of a joint command post, joint battle decision making and conduct of anti-terrorism drills, officials said. The exercise is called 'Hand-in-hand 2007' involving 103 men from the Jammu and Kashmir Light Infantry and almost an equivalent number from the Chinese People's Liberation Army.
India and China will commemorate in 2008 the 70th anniversary of the arrival of revered Indian doctor Dwarkanath Kotnis in China in an effort to inspire future generations of the two countries to work for the needy.
Meena Barot, an Indian businesswoman has been chosen among eight foreigners to carry the Olympic torch on Chinese soil in August next year.
Describing the pace of change in China as truly astounding and outstanding, Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Saturday said that India had much to learn from the way the Communist nation had approached economic reforms and liberalisation. Gandhi said the world today recognised the reality of an Asian renaissance and the re-emergence of China and India. She said that the two countries must work and prosper together as the world is big enough to accommodate the growth of both.
© 2025 Rediff.com - Investor Information - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances